Motion-picture-film reel



M. F. WALKER.

MOTION PICTURE FILM REEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14. 1910.

1,345,81 3. ten fi July 6, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Elmo-M07,

M. F. WALKER.

MOTION PICTURE FILM REEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.14.19I8.

Patented. J uly 5, 192% 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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PATENT @FEICE.

iviosns r. WALKER, or came, OHIO.

MOTION-PIOTURE-FILM REEL.

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Application filed March 14, 1918.

'1 b all whom it may com cm Be it known that l", Moses F. /VALKER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Cadiz, in the county ofHarrison and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful.Improvements in lilotion-Picture- Film Reels, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to motion picture film reels.

In the exhibition of motion pictures it is customary to employ twoprojecting ma chines so that one machine being in operation to projectthe motion pictures, and the end of the film passing therethrough havingbeen reached, the operator may immediately commence the operation of thesecond machine so as to avoid interruption or delay in the exhibition ofthe pictures and in this manner the two machines may be alternatelyoperated so as to reproduce, for example, an entire play withoutinterruption which would otherwise be necessary in order to permit ofremoval of the magazine reel and the placing in position oi? the newreel and the threading of the lihn through the machine. In order thattwo machines may be successfully employed in this manner, however, itis, of course, essential that the operator know when the end of the filmbeing exhibited has been substantially rea hed. Although the practice isdiscouraged, and in some cases prohibited, an operator will ordinarilyopen the door Olt the tire-proot magazine, from time to time in order toascertain the length of film remaining on the magazine or supply reel.Not only is this practice exceedingly dangerous, as the heat from thearc of the projecting machine is liable to set lire to the iilm, butfurthermore, the operators attention is, to a greater or less extent,detractedptrom the operation of the machine and he is liable to operatethe same either too rapidly or too slowly. It is, therefore, one aim ofthe present invention to provide, in connection with a film reel ot theclass des ribed, means which will give audible signal when all but apredetermined length ot the film has been unwound from the reel, so thatwith a little Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1920.

Serial No. 222.436.

practice the operator, in the use of the device, may determine almostexactly the numper of turns to give the operating crank of the proecting apparatus after hearing the signal and before beginning to turnthe crank of the second machine. Therefore not only does the inventiondiscourage the dangerous practice of opening the door of the magazine,but it also presents obvious advantages over certain devices which havebeen proposed for use and which embody visible indicating means wherebythe length of film upon the supply reel may be (le termined, for in theuse of such devices the operator must pay more or less close attentionto the indicator.

Another aim of my invention is to pro vide an audible alarm for thepurpose above described which will be so constructed that the operatoroi? the machine set the same to give signal when all but any de siredlength of the film has been unwound from the reel. In other words, theinvention may be made use of by an operator who desires to be warnedwhen there is, for example, only a toot of film left upon the magazineor supply reel, as equally as well as it may be employed by an operatorwho desires to be warned when there are three or four feet, for example,of film remaining upon the reel.

In order that a device oi? this class may be most certain and accuratein its functioning, it is, of course, essential that its actuation becontrolled by the unwinding of the film and the present invention, therefore, aims to so construct the device that although it possesses thisadvantage, it will not be in any manner likely to injure the film orplace any undue tension thereon.

Another aim of the invention is to provide novel means for connectingthe film end with the hub of the reel, which means will suflicientlysecurely hold the end of the film to prevent its accidentaldisengagement when the operation of winding or rewinding is begun andyet will permit of the film end being readily released at the momentwhen the film is to completely leave the reel.

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of course, produce a metallic sound which will. serve as an audiblesignal, In order to causequick movement of the striker ele meat andcause its arm 10 to strike with sullicient force against the head oi?the reel to g ve a si nal sulficiently loud, a wire spring I6 is i'ormedat one end with an eye 17 which is secured in anysuitable manner, as torexample, by a bolt or rivet 18 to the other head oi the reel, and thisspring extends transversely within the hub 1 with its free end locatedin the path of movement of the outer end edge of the head 1.1 when thestriker element is swung upon its pivot. In order to prevent relativedisplacement of the spring and head, the said edge of the latter isformed with a notch 19 in which the said free end of the spring engages.The spring 16 is so tensioned and positioned that should the strikerelement 9 be swung upon its pivot 12 a short distance so as to move itshead 11 slightly out of the vertical position, the spring will act toquickly and forcibly complete the swinging movement of the said strikerelement. In the use of this form of the invention, the end oi the filmis engaged with the clip member 7 and a greater or less length of thefilm is wound upon the reel depending upon the length of time which theoperator desires shall elapse between the giving of the audible signaland the complete unwinding of the film from the reel. When the desiredpoint has been reached in the winding of the film upon the reel, theoperator will insert a finger through an opening 20 provided in the headof the reel opposite the head which is to be acted against by thestriker element, and will swing the arm 10 downwardly until it lies fiatacross the film. In thus moving the arm 10, the head 11 will, of course,be swung from a position lying against the inner side of the hub 11, toa position radial to the hub as shown in Figs. 2 and t and, of course,against the tension of the spring 16. The winding of the film is thencompleted and the reel is ready for introduction into the magazine. Asthe film is unwound from the reel in the operation of the projectingapparatus and as that point in the length thereof is approached at whichpoint the signal is to be given, the film will first uncover the strikerarm 10, and immediately subsequently the film will, in unwinding fromthe hub, lift the arm 10 a short distance whereupon the spring 16 will.immediately act to swing the striker element upon its pivot and causethe arm 10 to strike against the head of the reel and give audiblesignal to the operator that the said point in the length oi the film hasbeen reached. In order that minimum strain will be imposed upon the filmin lifting the arm 10 and in order that the arm may be more speedilyactuated by the film, it is preferable that the lateral edges of the armdiverge in the direction of the free end of the arm so that these edgesdo not extend directly parallel to the axis of the hub but obliquelywith relation to the said axis.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. The combination with a film reel, of means carried thereby andcontrolled through the unwinding of the film to give audible signal whenall but a predetermined length of the film has been unwound.

2. In a film reel, signal means carried by the reel and comprisingcoacting sound and striker elements and means also carried by the reelfor actuating the striker element, the striker element being arranged tobe actuated automatically when all but a predetermined length of thefilm has been unwound from the reel.

3. The combination with a film reel one head of which constitutes asounding element, of a striker element for coaction with the said headof the reel and including a film engaging arm, and means for actuatingthe said element.

4. In a film reel, a hub, heads carried thereby, one of said headsconstituting a sounding element, and a striker element mounted upon thehub and including a film engaging arm designed in inactive position toextend across the hub and when actuated to be swung into engagement withthe said head when released.

5. In a film reel, a hub, heads carried thereby, one of said headsconstituting a sounding element, a striker element mounted upon the huband including a film engaging arm designed in inactive position toextend across the hub and when actuated to be swung into engagement withthe said head when released, and a spring for moving the said strikerelement to cause such swinging movement of the arm thereof.

6. In a film reel, a hub, a head carried by the hub and constituting asounding element, a striker element including an arm designed to extendacross the film wound about the hub, the said striker element beingpivotally mounted at the inner end of the said arm and further includinga head extending into the hub, and a spring within the hub coacting withthe said head and constituting means for swinging the striking elementupon its pivot when the arm is moved outwardly from the hub through theunwinding of the film.

7. In combination with a film reel and a film strip wound thereon, ofmeans normally held inoperative across the film strip by the wound stripand releasable by the unwinding of said strip for signaling the approachtoward the end of said strip, said means movable from across the stripto permit further unwinding thereof.

8. A film reel comprising a hub and filmguiding flanges carried therebyand signal means carried by the reel and adapted to be releasably heldbetween the flanges bya film strip but movable from across the filmstrip upon the unwinding of the latter.

9. A film reel comprising a hub and film- V guiding flanges carriedthereby, a signal 1,34as1s arm pivoted at one end for swinging from aninoperative, hub-parallelling position to an operative radial position,and a spring for urging the arm to the operative position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

MOSES F. WALKER. [LS-1

